Although she had already won five Southeastern Conference titles, an NCAA title and a world title, junior Elizabeth Beisel was shocked when she won two Olympic medals in London.
“It definitely was a surprise; I wasn’t really expecting to get two,” Beisel said. “Coming out of London and coming home with two is so cool. It was really like a dream come true.”
The nine time All-American won a bronze medal in the 200-meter backstroke and a silver in the 400 individual medley, an event in which she was skeptical of even making the semifinals.
Beisel made her first Olympic appearance when she was just 15 years old, as the youngest member of Team USA in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. There she finished fourth in the 400 IM and fifth in the 200 back.
In addition to medaling in 2012, another difference between the two Olympics for Beisel was having Florida coach Gregg Troy on hand.
Troy coached the U.S. men’s team in London.
“He’s one of my favorite people in the entire world, so to have him in London with me really made me comfortable with the situation I was in,” Beisel said. “Four years ago, I didn’t have my personal coach with me, so it was coach Troy who took me under his wing. So for me to actually have him there again this time around was really nice.”
Beisel credited her Olympic success to her experience from the trials, where she swam a lengthy program consisting of nine total events.
“It’s a very tolling meet just emotionally and physically; emotionally even more so just because there is so much pressure you put on yourself and you have from other people to try to make the team,” Beisel said. “It was hard, but it definitely paid off in the long run. It was such an easier meet in London because of what I did in Omaha.”
Beisel added that having her teammates with her during the trials and in London helped her remain calm, which is something she’s been learning to do since becoming a Gator in 2010.
Even Troy noticed a difference in her mentality this summer.
“She’s always had a little bit of trouble handling some of the pressure,” Troy said. “She gets real nervous in her desire to do well, and it’s kind of held her back. She went into the trials this time and handled it entirely differently. She was very relaxed going into the meet.”
Now that the Olympics are over, Beisel hopes to use her experiences from London to help her excel as the Gators’ captain this season.
“It’s different types of pressure between the NCAA and the Olympics,” Beisel said. “The Olympics is much more individual with winning a medal for yourself, but NCAA is winning points for the team. It’ll help me deal with being able to win for myself, but also translate that over to winning for the team.”
Contact Katie Agostin at kagostin@alligator.org.
Florida sophomore Elizabeth Beisel competes in the women's 200-yard breaststroke during the Gators' meet against the Florida Atlantic Owls on Saturday, January 14, 2012 at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center Natatorium.
